My sick LGD

[threebar]

Hi everyone - My poor Tippy is very, very sick. 3 evenings ago she was fine, but by yesterday morning she wouldn't leave her house in the sheep pen - 1st time ever she has let the "girls" go to pasture without her. So hubby and #1 son tore the front off of her dog house (only way to get her out!), manhandled her into a crate and brought her to town - needless to say she was not to happy about the truck ride. We got her into a room at the vet's office with no trouble (except she did not like the linoleum floor). No visible infections, so pain upon palpation, lungs and heart sounded good, but she is running a 39.7 C fever (not sure what that is Farenhiet) - normal for a dog is 38C. Vet gave her large dose of anti-inflamitory and sent us home with some wicked antibiotics - now it is just a waiting game - if her temp isn't down considerably by tonight, back to vet's we go! I thought that maybe she had tangled with one of the cows (she hates them!) but can't know for sure. Anyways - keep us in your thoughts - would hate to lose her

[Laura L.]

Vi Ann,
Good thoughts going out for Tippy (and you too). It is worrying when dogs get sick because they can't tell you what's wrong. Keep us updated.
Laura

[Peg Haese]

Our three dog houses are all built with a wooden pallet as the base. Cover the pallet with something solid that will hold hay for winter. Lift up the house to get the dog out if needed. Another design I like is with a flat roof that lifts off. Harder to clean out though.

I hope Tippy gets better soon, poor girl.

[Bill Fosher]

Did your vet run a lyme disease test?

[Janet McNally]

One of several tick born diseases would be my first guess. Hits them like a ton of bricks, fever, pain, and malaise. Be sure to test for all the relevant tick diseases in your area. Lyme and anaplasmosis are so common here that I give 48 hrs of tetracycline to any dog with a fever or limping, and if it knocks out the problem, I continue for 6 weeks. Probably half of my dogs have had lyme disease.

janet

[Bill Fosher]

I use the same protocol as Janet, except that I use doxycycline. I have eight dogs, and only one of them hasn't had Lyme disease.

[Jenn]

If Tippy is still very sick this morning, I would not delay getting her back in for more diagnostics. Don't know how much tick borne disease you guys get that far north, but I will say since moving to Iowa 12 yrs ago, I see more and more in our veterinary practice each year. Several have mentioned Lyme, also Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever causes fever and low platelets. I wouldn't get blinders on, as there may be another cause for her fever. A "minimum data base" would be in order- CBC, chemistry panel, 4DX (heartworm, lyme, ehrlichia, anaplasma) snap test, radiographs, urinalysis. I can easily come up with a long list of potentials on a febrile dog. Antibiotics should really start to help even after only 1-2 doses. You can also take her temperature at home to see what it is. Hope she feels better and this is all for nothing! Some may say I'm over reacting and just try another antibiotic. I think likely okay if she's eating and drinking (and keeping it down), but I've seen way, way too many dogs come in dehydrated, having to play catch up from people waiting a bit too long.

Good luck!

Jenn Berger, DVM

[threebar]

This morning Tippy's temp was 101.8F - she still isn't eating much - as for drinking I have now way of telling as she goes to the water trough. The tick theory makes alot of sense - although it has been amazingly wet here, so I thought that they weren't as prevelant as usual this spring. I've got another call into the vet so we'll have to see what she thinks. Keith is at home checking Tippy over to see if there is in fact a tick on her - although it's possible that she had one, got something from it, and it's dropped off - of course the vet that saw her on Wednesday isn't in today, so I'm going to have to go over the whole thing again. Here in BC it isn't possible to get dog antiboitics over the counter to treat her myself or I would be following everyone's advise. The crappy thing is she HATES the crate and going to town but I guess if I have to it will be back to town she goes. Again, thanks for all the help and advise!

Vi-Ann & Tippy

[Bill Fosher]

Vi-Ann,

If she's not coming out of her dog house, she's not going to the water trough. Get some water in front of her and monitor her consumption of it. If she's reluctant to drink it, bait it with some milk or broth.

[Janet McNally]

just want to be clear I am not advocating treating the dog for lyme in lui of a proper veterinary exam. I think this dog should be seen again by a vet and proper tests run. My comment is in the context of having hauled quite a few dogs into the vet for diagnosis and that I am now very familiar with what lyme disease looks like (also having had it 5 times myself). On this farm, when I see a certain set of symptoms (fever, pain, malais) I begin Rx for lyme disease first. BC is a long ways from here, and there are a lot of other problems to consider.

[pastora]

At this point, my advice: get your dog back to vet asap, ask to have Tippy put on IV for lactated Ringers solution. Dog has dehydrated by now.....
this is deadly. You need to get fluids into him fast...as in yesterday. Assume dog has been vaccinated for parvo, rabies etc.
and they checked for that too?

Also, a tip: get a syringe, fill it with clear flavorless pedialyte, and start drenching him every 30 min down the throat. with about 30 cc.
Doing that plus Ringers IV for three days, day and night, saved my Anatolian/Maremma Pak last year when he got Parvo. Yes,
I got no sleep. Yes, it took over my life for three days. But he lived and has grown in to a magnificent guardian. I'm just
worried your dog will suffer issues from lack of fluids. Good luck....also, a stay at the vets' for a few days may be the
solution, if you can't take the time to do this stuff at home.

And....at the risk of incurring wrath from some...scenarios like this are why I handle all my dogs and socialize them, so trips to the vet
are not catastrophic wrecks, but more like 'ho hum, just another ride into town for a check up...'.

[threebar]

So - the antibiotics seem to be working - Tippy never did stop drinking (after that 1st day). She typically drinks from the water trough and Keith observed her drinking every time she did come out of her house. She was off her food for 3 - 4 days, but would eat meat from your hand if you put it right in front of her nose. Yesterday morning I mixed up 4 eggs with some milk and she ate that - same last night. This morning I gave her about 1/2 of her dog food mixed with chicken broth - Keith was going to check in about and hour and see if she'd eaten it. Last couple of nights she's been making a fuss about something in the field, so I really think she's on the mend - still not going out with the girls yet, but she is definitely not wobbly anymore. Really think I just need to get some nutrition into her so she gets her energy back. Thank you all sooooo much for all of your help and advise - don't know what I would do without this board sometimes!

Vi-Ann & Tippy

[threebar]

So - here is my next dilema! What would I do without drama in my life! Tippy has a pretty yucky case of ringworm on her face - all up her nose, starting around her eyes and the vet has given me oral medicine plus a cream for her face. She is so used to taking medication now that the oral is no problem - doesn't hurt that it tastes like chicken - but after only two applications of the cream she is having NONE of it! The small amount I managed to get applied last night she immediately found a patch of grass and rubbed it all off - the vet has suggested a "cone" but how do I put that on her and expect her to be in the paddock with the sheep and do her job? BTW - she is back to herself as far as chasing off critters - last night she tore after a coyote sniffing around the chicken house at 3 AM. Any suggestions?

Vi-Ann

[lovetree]

I used a concoction of gentian violet and rubbing alcohol on my dog for ear fungus and it cleared up quickly...might give it a try for ringworm (which is a fungus)
Also, Tea Tree oil works for ringworm...dog cant rub it off since it soaks in quickly.

Mix together and apply topically to the fungus.
1 16 oz bottle rubbing alcohol
4 Tablespoons Boric acid powder
16 drops Gentian violet 1 % solution

[Janet McNally]

iodine works too, and wont rub off. Just don't get it near the eyes.